Make The Good Things Better
by QueenoftheWilderwest
Summary: It's New Year's Eve, and Hiccup finds himself at a party, next to the girl he's been pining after for years. If only he could summon up the courage to tell her how he feels...


Hiccup hated parties.

It wasn't really to do with popularity like it might have been when he was younger - seventeen year old Hiccup was worlds away from fifteen year old Hiccup, shy and teetering on the lowest rung of the social ladder; Hiccup now was well-liked enough, and people always seemed at least a little happy to see him around.

Nah, it was more to do with himself. He was a quiet kind of guy, and he liked his own company the best. He was never really sure what to do at parties. He didn't like to drink and he didn't particularly like loud noise, so most of the time he did his best to avoid them.

It was because of his father that he found himself at a party. Hiccup had been all comfortable, a novel in one hand and a mug of hot chocolate in the other, his black cat curled up on his lap. He'd been all set, until his father came in and told him sternly that he would _not_ be spending his New Year's sitting alone by himself, before carting him out the door and sending him to his cousin's house.

So that was how Hiccup found himself leaning against Snotlout's living room wall, clutching a cup containing some sort of alcohol. Hiccup took a tentative sip and scowled. Yep, he definitely still hated alcohol.

He let his cup hand from his hand and resigned himself to watching Snotlout and Tuffnut play an aggressive game of beer pong. More people arrived, and soon the living room filled up with people, the noise getting louder and louder. Hiccup did his best not to wince.

Tuffnut sidled up by him, using the table by Hiccup's side to roll a joint, waving it at Hiccup.

"You want one?"

"I'm good, thanks," Hiccup said, the corner of his mouth lifting.

"Loosen up, dude," Tuffnut said, the not-yet-lit joint hanging from his lips. "Did you hear that Astrid was supposed to be around?"

If Hiccup's heartbeat picked up, he wouldn't have admitted it.

"So?"

Tuffnut rolled his eyes. "So, everyone's placing bets. When are you going to get together?"

"What bets?" Hiccup said, quietly congratulating himself for not stuttering.

"Bets? Did I say anything about a bet? No bets here, none at all." Tuffnut took a big step to the left and slid out the door, presumably to go and smoke.

Great. So now there was a bet of some sort. Fantastic. This was just what Hiccup needed.

It was no use pretending that his heart beat wasn't elevated considerably now, and Hiccup leant his head back onto the wall and closed his eyes, briefly praying a half-assed plea to any kind of deity that would stop his cheeks from flushing red.

It wasn't his fault he had this kind of reaction every time the girl he'd been pining after for the best part of four years was mentioned. Hiccup wished that he could be one of those guys that could mask all of their emotions, but alas, he was an open book. It was just another short straw that had been thrown his way in the biological department.

"Didn't expect to see you here."

Hiccup's eyes snapped open to find Astrid Hofferson filling up his vision, and all of his progress was ruined; his heartbeat lifted and his hands shook a little.

"Hey, Astrid. Hi, Astrid. Hey," he said, and instantly cursed himself for stuttering.

It was almost worth it for the smile that spread across Astrid's face. "Hi, Hiccup. Hi, Hiccup. Hey."

"Yes, thank you, Astrid," he said, and he tried, oh God, did he try to sound indignant, but his face betrayed him with the smile that he just couldn't keep away.

"You didn't answer my question," she said, leaning against the wall beside him, swirling a drink around in her hand.

"You didn't ask one."

"I said, I didn't expect to see you here," she said.

"Still not seeing your question."

Astrid rolled her eyes and raised her hands to the heavens. "Why are you here, Hiccup?"

"Do you not want me here?"

Her eyes widened a little, and her speech is a little rushed after that. "Oh god, no, the opposite in fact. I'm just asking why you're here torturing yourself when you'd rather be at home reading and making kissy faces at your cat."

Hiccup scoffed. "Okay, I do not make _kissy faces_ at Toothless."

"You do. You just don't realise that you're doing it."

He sighed. "To answer your question, _my lady,_ I'm here because Dad forced me to. I think he wants me to mix with non-feline lifeforms."

Astrid grinned, taking a sip of her drink. "Stoick must be the only parent that wants their kid to go nuts at a house party.

"Please," Hiccup said. "I'd actually make him proud if I came home wasted. Unfortunately that would mean having to drink more of this godawful stuff."

She giggled, and Hiccup put all of his effort into stopping himself from smiling in triumph.

"So," Astrid said. "New Year's resolutions. Go."

"Avoid parties and spend more time with the cat."

"Seriously."

Hiccup paused for a moment, his fingers drumming against the cup and his teeth worrying at his lower lip. "Get some confidence. Be less shy. You?"

For a moment, Astrid seemed very interested in the room, refusing to look at Hiccup and instead surveying the whole room. Hiccup almost repeated the question, assuming she hadn't heard, before she turned back to look at him again.

"Make the good things better," she said, enigmatically.

"What does that mean?"

"You'll see."

Hiccup nodded. In all his years of knowing Astrid, he'd learned never to question her. He was about to open his mouth to say something more, when they were interrupted by Snotlout climbing up onto the table and clapping his meaty hands together.

"It's time! It's time everyone!" Snotlout shrieked, and everyone raised their drinks up high and whooped.

Snotlout switched on the television, and there was the countdown in front of them, ready to go.

"Ten!" everyone in the room screamed.

As Hiccup cast an eye around the room, he noticed that everyone was subtly splitting up into couples. He shot a glance down at Astrid, who was staring straight ahead.

"Nine!"

To have more confidence, he had told her. To be less shy.

"Eight!"

"Astrid," he said, his voice so quiet and low amongst all the chaos.

"Seven!"

"Yeah?" she said, and now she was looking up at him.

"Six!"

"I…"

"Five!"

New Year's resolutions, Hiccup realized, are so much easier in theory. He gazed down at Astrid who was looking straight back up at him and felt his mouth go dry, forgetting everything he was about to say.

"Four!"

Crap. He'd put a lot of responsibility on his own shoulders, and now he wasn't able to deliver.

"Three!"

"Hiccup?"

"Two!"

Now or never.

"One!"

Before Hiccup could react, Astrid reached up and cupped his face with her hand, gracefully sliding up on her toes to press her mouth against his. For a moment, Hiccup was frozen still, his brain unable to get his body to move, but eventually, his limbs moved again, and he slid a hand around her cheek, pulling her closer. She tilted her head back, and he slid his other arm around her waist. A pause. Their lips parted and their foreheads rested together, and for a moment Hiccup was still, his eyes shut. Then, his eyes crinkled and opened, a laugh bubbling up in his chest.

Astrid smiled too, her arms pulling Hiccup into a hug. "I told you I was going to make the good things better," she said, somewhat smugly.

"Yeah, you did say something like that," Hiccup said, his voice breathy, barely there.

The two of them were so lost in each other that everything that was happening around them seemed to blend out of existence. They missed Snotlout and Tuffnut grabbing each other and sloppily making out, to the sounds of horror mixed with delight all around the room. They missed all the 'Happy New Years!' and they missed people raising their drinks and chugging them down.

The room was alight with clapping and cheering, and when Astrid and Hiccup turned away from each other, their little bubble broken, they realized that everyone was staring, clapping and cheering for them.

"I win, assholes!" Snotlout screamed. "You all owe me. Pay up!"

The room groaned, and Astrid and Hiccup both did their best to hide their smiles.

For the rest of the night, Hiccup's fingers were interlocked with Astrid's, the warmth of her skin on his causing his hair to stick up on end. Most of the time, he couldn't keep a smile off his face. When the night ended, Astrid left him on his doorstep, pressing a kiss to his cheek and promising to come see him tomorrow.

She drove away and Hiccup was left in driveway, his fingers fluttering across his cheek and a smile brighter than sunshine.

2016 was shaping up to be a pretty good year.


End file.
